THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 21, 1994 TAG: 9409210424
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ABOARD USS MOUNT WHITNEY LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
So detailed was the planning to occupy Haiti that the military brought its own fire trucks to contain blazes that fighting might have started in downtown Port-au-Prince.
Six Air Force crash trucks were in the cargo hold of a Roll-On, Roll-Off ship loaded with supplies that arrived at the country's capital city.
Mammouth Forestry Service fire-fighting buckets were brought along too, ready to be slung beneath military helicopters to drag up sea water and drench burning buildings.
``One of the dangers we saw was parts of the city catching fire,'' said Army Col. William Groening, deputy chief of operations for the 18th Airborne Corps, as he discussed the unusual details in the planning of this week's occupation of Haiti.
No one could locate much in the way of fire-fighting capabilities in Haiti, he said.
With the prevailing sea winds and the shantytown construction in some of the poor city areas, he said, it was obvious that a fire could quickly get out of hand.
``So we prepared for that,'' said Groening, adding that the equipment will be available now to ensure safety for the huge numbers of aircraft coming into the city.
Bringing a fire department to the scene of what had been planned as an invasion is but one of the innovative ideas that emerged from more than five months of pre-invasion planning.
Even a street sweeper is on its way to Haiti, primarily for use at the international airport.
The military also used its regular equipment in unusual ways.
Two submarines joined the 37 surface ships that ring the Caribbean nation. The subs turned their extraordinary listening devices toward shore to detect any unusual electronic activities there, said Navy Capt. Chuck Vogan, director of operations for the 2nd Fleet.
The cruiser Vicksburg became an unlikely air traffic controller, using sophisticated air-scanning radar from its unique AEGIS weapons system to guide giant C-5A Gallaxy transport aircraft flying out of Norfolk into Port-au-Prince's airport.
An Army truck was placed on the deck of the 2nd Fleet flagship Mount Whitney, which already bristles with communications equipment, so it could relay radio transmissions ashore. With the setup, units of the 10th Mountain Division and 18th Airborne Group were able to talk directly to their headquarters at Fort Drum, N.Y., or Fort Bragg, N.C.
And for the first time in any combat operation, the Navy did not use its ships to protect U.S. aircraft carriers. Coast Guard cutters, instead, watched over the Eisenhower and America, Vogan said.
Equally impressive, Vogan said, was the last-second changes made to plans when the mission changed from invasion to peaceful landings.
``One of the most remarkable aspects of this operation was the capabilities of a very modern military logistics command to respond to a dramatic change in the mission,'' he said.
``What we are doing right now was not planned for the last five months. These ships arrived with specific loads to support the 82nd and the 18th. But we don't need that right now. But we do need essentials to support the 10th Mountain Division.''
By ordering certain ships moved in toward the port, then moving others back to sea, the shift appears to have worked well, he said.
Although the operation seems destined to become a textbook study for future planning, many aboard the Mount Whitney were reluctant to congratulate themselves just yet.
There are still thousands of troops to be brought in during the next two days, as a force of 15,000 occupation troops assembles.
But the planners said they have learned much from experiences in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Rwanda and other hotspots.
The Navy has rolled out its red carpet to the Army, which is spearheading the operation and clearly is in charge.
With so many service members wearing olive green camouflage fatigues, it is sometimes difficult to tell an Army staff sergeant from a Navy petty officer, or Air Force technical sergeant. The confusion also runs in many of the officer ranks.
``Look behind their ears,'' quipped a Navy chief. ``If they're Army, they will be wearing one of those seasickness patches.''
He was right. Many Army and some Air Force personnel are using the patch as a precaution against seasickness in this new marine environment.
Even the operation's commander, Army Lt. Gen. Hugh Shelton, wears one.
The planners took extra care to prevent friendly-fire accidents. All soldiers going ashore wore a one-inch square silver reflective patch on their left shoulder and the top of their helmets. Vehicles had similar patches on their tops.
``This was a very complex operation with very successful results from our standpoints,'' said Groening. ``It worked, and no one was injured, and we did it without having to fire a shot.''
Soldiers ashore continue to take care not to incite the Haitains, who line the shores of Port-au-Prince by the thousands to see what the Americans are doing. They sail their small fishing boats or row their skiffs between the growing armada that fills the harbor.
``We have been very successful,'' Groening said, ``in our attempts to show the Haitian people our quarrel is not with them, but that we come here as friends to restore peace and democracy and that we are able to work with Haitian authorities to maintain law and order in the country.''
Concerns remain that there are some people in Haiti who don't buy into the recently signed agreement, Groening said.
``There is still a danger to the U.S. military and U.S. citizens and the Haitian people who openly support our efforts,'' he said. ``Unfortunately we can't go out and find those people and take care of them. So, yes, there is a very big concern.''
All of the soldiers have been briefed on what they are permitted to do under the extensive rules of engagement, officials said, and they have been told to use the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves and their command.
Tuesday, the Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp moved ashore at Cap Haitien on Haiti's north shore, an operation that was delayed when no invasion was needed. The 1,800 Camp Lejeune, N.C., Marines are not expected to stay long.
KEYWORDS: HAITI by CNB